❓ Hon Adele Farina questions the Minister for Health regarding changes to after-hours community palliative care services in the WA Country Health Service South West, specifically the shift to a telephone advice line. The Minister's response defends the changes as aligning with a regional model and resource allocation.
AnsweredQoN 314Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WA COUNTRY
HEALTH SERVICE SOUTH WEST — COMMUNITY PALLIATIVE CARE
314. Hon ADELE FARINA to the
minister representing the Minister for Health:
(1) Is the
minister aware that the WA Country Health Service South West has directed the
community palliative care nurse service to scale back its regular after-hours
service for patients and has advised that the service has changed to a telephone
advice line?
(2) Why has
this service been scaled back?
(3) Does this
mean that the south west has lost a health service or an important part of the
community palliative care nurse service that is provided in the Perth
metropolitan area and elsewhere in regional WA?
(4) Will the
minister direct the WA Country Health Service South West to immediately reverse
this decision?
(5) If no to
(4), why not?
HEALTH SERVICE SOUTH WEST — COMMUNITY PALLIATIVE CARE
314. Hon ADELE FARINA to the
minister representing the Minister for Health:
(1) Is the
minister aware that the WA Country Health Service South West has directed the
community palliative care nurse service to scale back its regular after-hours
service for patients and has advised that the service has changed to a telephone
advice line?
(2) Why has
this service been scaled back?
(3) Does this
mean that the south west has lost a health service or an important part of the
community palliative care nurse service that is provided in the Perth
metropolitan area and elsewhere in regional WA?
(4) Will the
minister direct the WA Country Health Service South West to immediately reverse
this decision?
(5) If no to
(4), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the question.
(1) Across the
South West Region, after-hours advice for community palliative care patients is
provided by the local hospital senior nurse. The local and palliative care
nurses are both part of the care team and a clinical handover occurs for
specific patient details, medication schedules and care needs. Terminal
patients have access to in-home palliative care if they wish to be cared for at
home.
(2) The change
to access to telephone advice has aligned the Bunbury palliative care processes
with the south west model for palliative care across the region.
(3) A
palliative care nurse is on call out of hours for patients within the community
who are in the terminal phase of their illness and may require attendance in
their home. All other community palliative care patients may call their local hospital
for advice. The hospital and community palliative care nurses are both part of
the care team and a clinical handover occurs for specific patient details,
medication schedules and care needs.
(4)–(5)
Palliative care services are provided as per the South West Region model of
palliative care and within available resources. Resourcing for palliative care
services in the south west is comparable to the rest of regional Western Australia.
(1) Across the
South West Region, after-hours advice for community palliative care patients is
provided by the local hospital senior nurse. The local and palliative care
nurses are both part of the care team and a clinical handover occurs for
specific patient details, medication schedules and care needs. Terminal
patients have access to in-home palliative care if they wish to be cared for at
home.
(2) The change
to access to telephone advice has aligned the Bunbury palliative care processes
with the south west model for palliative care across the region.
(3) A
palliative care nurse is on call out of hours for patients within the community
who are in the terminal phase of their illness and may require attendance in
their home. All other community palliative care patients may call their local hospital
for advice. The hospital and community palliative care nurses are both part of
the care team and a clinical handover occurs for specific patient details,
medication schedules and care needs.
(4)–(5)
Palliative care services are provided as per the South West Region model of
palliative care and within available resources. Resourcing for palliative care
services in the south west is comparable to the rest of regional Western Australia.
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